Leisure centre to upgrade pools in £1.1m project

The Brentwood Centre has two swimming pools, including this 25m-long (82ft) one

A leisure centre dating back to the 1980s is due to have its swimming pools and changing facilities upgraded in a £1.1m project.

Work will begin at the Brentwood Centre in Essex in January and is expected to take about five months.

Brentwood Borough Council said temporary changing facilities would be available during the project, but only one of its pools would remain open at any given time.

Dan Humphries, from leisure-operator Everyone Active, said modernising the site would help people enjoy it "for years to come".

The Brentwood Centre has two swimming pools: a 25m-long (82ft) one and another smaller pool used for lessons and clubs.

New tiling and ceilings will be installed during the upgrades, while there will be a total refurbishment of the changing rooms.

The smaller pool is expected to close from 26 January for about eight weeks, before reopening when work begins on the main pool in late March.

All areas are due to reopen by the end of May, says the council, which is funding the project.

The Brentwood Centre welcomes more than 450,000 annual visitors

Mr Humphries added: "The project has been carefully planned so that local residents continue to have access to swimming throughout.

"Once complete, the upgraded facilities will provide a much-improved environment for the whole community to enjoy for years to come."

The Brentwood Centre first opened its doors in 1988 and welcomes more than 450,000 visitors a year.

However, sports promoter Barry Hearn said the building needed "a bit of TLC" ahead of hosting snooker's English Open there in September.

Gareth Barrett, the chairman of the council's Assets, Projects and Strategy Committee, agreed the swimming facilities were "ageing".

"This further significant investment supports our ambitions for the Brentwood Centre to be a modern and inclusive facility," he added.